For conservative minorities, especially conservative minority women, Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination and the warnings from the left not to “bully” her are a reminder of the double standard with which we live out our social and political lives. The recognition that there are two separate rulebooks for minorities: one for liberals and one for conservatives. In the liberal rulebook, whites must be sensitive and considerate of a minority’s life story and the unique obstacles he or she faced and/or overcame. In the conservative rulebook, well, there really is no rulebook because there are no rules. It’s always open season on conservative minorities.

Where were the cries for respect and sensitivity to compelling personal stories when Clarence Thomas or Miguel Estrada were being skewered? Where were all of the glowing stories, Oprah appearances, and magazine covers for the always elegant, eloquent (did I mention fit?) ,Condoleezza Rice, America’s first female Black Secretary of State?

Last year, at the height of Palin bashing, Asian-American conservative Michelle Malkin said: “liberals have a tendency to infantilize, sexualize, demonize and dehumanize conservative women. It’s astounding how intolerant liberals are of jokes about liberal women, and yet they’ll say, or at least tolerate the most bawdy, degrading and patronizing things about conservative women.”

When conservative Linda Chavez accepted an invitation to speak at ASU, the race-based crowd turned out in full force. They protested, heckled, and held up signs that said “Ni Linda es la Chavez”. The demeaning signs and jeers Chavez graciously endured that evening at ASU was a warning for the young, conservative minority women in attendance – a harbinger of the double standard we would have to endure if we continued to speak up for what we believe. Fifteen years later, I refuse to be silenced by those who demand that my race should determine my views or political affiliation. I may be brown on the outside, but on the inside, I’m all American.